In Seconds and Minutes
by Noxid Anamchara
Summary: Because living and dying can happen so quickly, that you don't even have time to do what you may regret never having the chance to do. And Tony's chances are growing slimmer. TIVA, slight McAbby. Sort-of-Sequel, Coming Home, posted.
1. The Attack

**EM**: I have been waiting since season 5, episode "Designated Target" for these two to get together. And because Bellisario hasn't done it yet I have decided to do it myself. This is my Tony and Ziva. With a little bit of McAbby because I think they should get together too. This was inspired by the song _Unthinkable_ by Alicia Keyes.

I really, really appreciate reviews. Really.

**Disclaimer**: NCIS belongs to Bellisario and CBS. And if you recognize anything else, it's not mine. Also, Alicia's lyrics belong to her.

* * *

In Seconds and Minutes

_You give me a feeling that I never felt before / And I deserve it, I know I deserve it / It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore / It's what we make it _

_I was wondering maybe / Could I make you my baby / If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy _

/\_/\_/\

It was one of those moments where you suddenly remember something stupid. Like the time when your Aunt Muriel made sure to point out your double chin in front of the entire family, or the awkward moment when you walk out of the bathroom after receiving a swirly and everyone around you knows it because of the toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe. It was completely embarrassing and a desperate attempt to deny the fact that after these thoughts left your mind reality would drop in like an atom bomb.

Or more precisely an IED. An improvised explosive device.

"McGee!" Tim jumped at Gibbs' harsh bark. It was amazing what the mind could pick up on. Through all of the screaming, the sirens and the crumbling debris Tim still managed to hear Gibbs perfectly.

"Yeah Boss." His response automatic, he turned to Gibbs, knowing the look he was going to be receiving when another explosion went off in the building. He felt a nick on his cheek as he turned around, arm up in defense and his mouth hanging open. Moments ticked by.

"MCGEE!" Tim jumped again as Gibbs grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around.

"Where are Tony and Ziva?" His lips flapped and no sound came out, his mind trying to piece together what he had seen and what the puzzle pieces meant. "Tim. _Where are_ they?"

"Agent Gibbs." Gibbs and McGee both turned to the feminine voice. McGee registered a local LEO calling for the bomb squad, a man behind that voice yelling about a wife still in the hospital and a woman sobbing hysterically about a child.

A familiar woman stood before them both; her hands clasped together and worry in her eyes. "Agent DiNozzo ran into the…the building. Just before…the last two explosions." Tim watched as her eyes puffed up as she held back the tears. Gibbs turned to him and he nodded. Gibbs shook his head like he was waiting for more.

"Ziva, McGee?" His mouth dropped. "Oh. Right boss. I uh…" Ziva had never actually come out of the building. Just Tony and her. "Now McGee." Tim swallowed realizing he hadn't actually said anything.

"Ziva never came out of the building boss. Just Tony and Miss-" Tim cringed at the wail of another woman behind Gibbs. "I think he ran back into the hospital to get Ziva," he shouted. "Boss." Tim shifted his feet. It was that look. The angry, what the hell are you still doing here look.

"Right. Coordinate with the LEO's and get the bomb squad into that building." He waited for a confirming look from Gibbs. And waited. "Is there something else boss?"

Gibbs looked back at the building and Tim saw a rare scene. Worry played out across his face and Tim knew that he would do everything the boss wanted him to do.

"Call Abby."

_\/5 hours earlier\/_

"TGIF," Tony says as he drops his bag next to his desk and sits in his chair. Ziva looks up, head cocked to the side, that cute little wrinkle forming between her eyes. He loved it when she tried so hard to remember.

"Our new Special Agent does not know what TGIF means?" Tony smirked. He had used the initials before.

"I remember this one!" Then the second look, the one where her face lit up like a streetlight on a dark night. "Thank god I'm free!" Her smile says she's proud that she remembers this one. Tim smiles and shakes his head, his fingers flying back across his keyboard.

"Friday Ziva. Thank god it's Friday." Tony watches her mumble the word Friday, then shrug her shoulders.

"Potato, tomato." McGee smiled again as a small chuckle slipped past his lips. Ziva's head jerked up, eyes squinting at McGee in that ex-Mossad way. McGee's lips move slightly, possibly to speak and tell her that its potato, potah-to when he rethinks his words and drops his head back to his computer fingers flying faster. Ziva's lips quirk up as she goes back to her work.

"Actually Zi-va, Friday doesn't necessarily mean free. Just last week we had to come in on Sunday, so that makes it **not** the same. And I had so been looking forward to catching that episode of _Magnum P.I. _where-"

"DiNozzo!" Ziva laughs as Tony jumps up, eyes on Gibbs as he rushes past his desk to lean over his. "Right Boss. We have a Petty Officer squabble at-" No hesitation, "Next."

"A Lance Corporal shoplifts in-" Tony looks up expectantly knowing that this one will also be rejected. "Next!"

"Uh, yeah Boss. I got nothing more. Today sucks." Tony drops into his chair again as Gibbs looks up briefly from his seat when his phone rings.

"So Ziva, what are your plans for the weekend?" Tony leans over his desk, eyeing her with a half-smile on his face. Her fingers stop pacing over the keyboard as she looks up. Her lips curve up on one side, leering back at him.

She takes a deep breath building up suspense, "I have no plans for this weekend Tony." She folds her hands together and smiles openly, eyes alight. Tony's eyebrow arches, trying to ascertain whether she told the truth or not. He shrugged his shoulders, deciding that whether she told the truth or not didn't matter. But…

"Movie night then?" He asked tactfully while jotting down worthless notes and glancing in her direction from beneath his lashes, waiting for an answer that would confirm what she told him. He watched as she seemed to debate something, tapping her pencil on her lip.

"What movie?" He looked up and cursed internally. He quickly ran through some titles in his head, passing the ones that he knew she had already seen.

"I can't decide between City of Angels, Die Hard 2, or Dirty Dancing. And the original Dirty Dancing." Ziva watched as Tony's forehead wrinkled in concentration. McGee looked over with a confused look on his face. The movies Tony had chosen were so different. So random. So Tony. McGee just shook his head again. When he looked back to his screen he looked up, his eyebrows knit together. Gibbs had that look. And his phone conversation seemed awfully long for someone who didn't talk on the phone. He watched as Gibbs took a deep breath and slammed the phone on the receiver. He picked up his coffee and quickly walked through the bullpen and up the stairs.

"Boss?" McGee heard Tony's inquiry but Gibbs continued to jog up the stairs without a glance back. He watched and waited to see if it was MTAC or Vance. When he kept walking McGee's brow furrowed further. Going to Vance usually meant something big. And he hadn't said a word before he left. He looked back to find Tony and Ziva each giving each other that questioning look when Tony's eyes moved to him.

"Probie!" He pointed at McGee. "What'd Boss say?" McGee ignored Tony's question and turned back to his computer. He shouldn't do it, but he had stopped caring about it a long time ago. _Hacking_ was his job description. If you looked at the fine print and perhaps twisted the words just a bit.

"McGee?" He heard Ziva's quiet inquiry but ignored her as well. He wanted to be quick and stopping to explain would waste time. He was typing fast, the code on the screen flying across his vision. Even if he was the Director it didn't mean he trusted him. They had had plenty of events to prove that Director Vance was in the right chair but it still didn't mean that McGee had to like him. He felt Tony and Ziva come up behind him.

"Something making you itchy McTim?" Tony whispered it causing McGee to lean slightly away from him and into Ziva. They always got so close. And then he found it. A file that wasn't accessible by anyone but the Director. Or so they all thought. He chuckled and visually patted himself on the back. "Speak Probie!" And Tony smacked him on the back of the head. McGee turned around with a scowl on his face. He clicked open the file after finding and disabling any viruses or alert systems.

It was half finished, in the process of being filled out. There was a request for a team to check out Providence Hospital. It didn't state any specifics or hint at any problems. But it had been placed in the top priority list, red light. He scanned the rest of the file finding absolutely nothing. But the request had been signed off by the Director which meant there was something that was missing.

"What does it mean McGee?" His finger tapped the J key impatiently, his mind racing through possibilities already thinking what Ziva had just voiced. Just then his phone rang.

"McGee." Ziva and Tony watched as McGee's face twisted. "Got it Boss," and he put the phone back down. "Boss wants you guys in Vance's office _right now_." McGee stood up quickly making Ziva squeak slightly at his abrupt action and the chair pushing against her. They watched him walk away quickly to the elevator.

"McSecret! What's goin on?" Tony yelled and looked around as if talking to a crowd when he looked back at Ziva, his eyes turning hard. Something was up and people weren't talking. They both nodded in silent agreement and made their way to Vance's office.

/\_/\_/\

"I don't want this getting out Gibbs. The last thing we need is a city full of panic right now." Gibbs gave Vance a look that told him 'ya think?' Tony and Ziva walked in together both standing at attention.

"There seems to be a situation. The hospital won't give any details even after I pushed. Something doesn't feel right." Tony and Ziva looked at each other. "I want both of you to go to Providence Hospital and assess the situation. I want you on full alert." Vance's look was redundant. They were already getting it from Gibbs. "Gibbs will fill you in on the rest." They took that as their cue to leave and exited, Gibbs following them.

When the door closed behind them, Tony and Ziva turned around coming face to face with Gibbs.

"Alright Boss. What's goin on? What's all the hush-hush?" Gibbs took a drink of his coffee and paused.

"You're to go to Providence Hospital and check it out." He looked at them both and then pushed past them, taking the stairs quickly. They looked at each other questioningly. They knew Gibbs wasn't much for talking but that was cryptic. They raced after him. "Boss! Is that it?" Gibbs was looking around the bullpen.

"Where's McGee?" Tony cringed back a little.

"We believe he made his way down to Abby. After he talked to you on the phone, he rushed out of here rather quickly." Tony nodded furiously at Gibbs.

"We tried to stop him, Boss. Honest. Probie was very…un-Probie like." Tony looked to Ziva for confirmation and she was staring at him like he had two heads.

"Well yeah, DiNozzo. Probably because he found something." Ziva moved quickly after Gibbs to the elevator, Tony running to catch the doors before they closed. "Wait boss. You sayin you didn't tell him to go to Abby's lab?" He squeezed past the doors as Ziva shook her head.

"No. I told him to come to Vance's office as well." Tony's eyes widened in shock and Ziva's eyebrow quirked higher. Tony was right. That was very unlike McGee.

\/_\/_\/

"If you ask me one more time Tim, I'm gonna tell Gibbs."

"Tell Gibbs what." Abby whipped around smiling. "Hi Gibbs!" She turned back around to her computer, taking the Caf-Pow from his hands.

"I was just telling Timmy here" and she glared at him, "that no, we cannot make this," she double clicked her mouse and an image on the screen magnified as the other three gathered around it, "image any better because the quality sucks. I mean I can lighten it up, zoom in, pixelate the image all I want but it's just too dark in that corner. And besides the fact that he's wearing a hooded sweatshirt." She took a breath as she shrugged her shoulders. "Although I don't why I'm looking at video feed of Providence Hospital to begin with. We aren't working on a case there that I don't know about are we?" Her brow furrowed together and McGee turned to her exasperated.

"Abby I already told you. It's not a case _yet_, but the Director-" He cut off his sentence as both Gibbs and Tony looked at him. "Look Boss I was gonna tell you but I wanted to get more information first." Gibbs waited expectantly.

"Well tell the man what he wants to hear Probie! Don't keep us waiting!" McGee scowled at Tony. "When I saw you talking on the phone and then you enter Vance's office I had a feeling something was up. So…I went into the files and found one on high alert from Providence that had no details. But the Director had already signed off on the request." He started clacking at his computer and on the screen the file popped up again. There it was again. The report for Providence that now contained Gibbs name. The request stated that Special Agent Gibbs' team would be answering the call. Still no other details though.

"And then I really felt that something was wrong. So I asked Abby to help me get into Providence's video feed and see what was up. That was when we saw this." He pointed up the screen as his video image skipped backwards. It was strange. No one in the hospital seemed to be doing anything. It was like everyone was frozen. They were obviously awake and aware of their surroundings but nobody moved.

"Woah…Twilight Zone." Ziva socked Tony in the arm. "Ouch!" He rubbed the spot she hit and turned back to the screen.

"Look. There." Tony and Ziva both looked to where Gibbs was pointing. There on the screen was a man, roughly six feet tall, 200 lbs, with dark brown hair, olive skin and looking very nervous. He seemed to also be the one in control. He was the only one who moved at all. They watched his lips move.

"McGee. What's he saying?" McGee had been watching as well. "Right boss." He and Abby zoomed in on the man's face, specifically his mouth. Abby and McGee stared intently at the moving mouth.

"It's hard to tell…" Abby didn't finish her sentence as she brought her focus back to the mouth.

"Contact…keep everyone inside….and those are words I would rather not repeat," Abby continued watching, "he seems to be yelling at someone. Stick to…plan. He must be in contact with someone because no one else around him is even responding. McGee do you think we could-" McGee's eye lit up. "Access the cell towers and see what numbers are in use. Yes." Both of their fingers were flying across the keyboard.

Gibbs turned to Tony and Ziva. "Go to the hospital, contact the local LEOs and see if you can't get into that hospital. I want to know what is going on in there." Tony turned around heading out already and Ziva turned to follow.

"Hey!" They both looked back simultaneously and waited. "Be careful."

/\_/\_/\

They made it to the hospital and found a single police car parked outside. They exited the car and walked up to the police vehicle, Tony on the driver's side and Ziva on the passenger's. They saw a single man sitting in the front. He rolled the window down when Tony knocked on the window.

"Excuse me. What's going on?" Tony noticed the man's nervousness and the sweat that rolled down his face. "Is something wrong?" He reached in to place his hand on his shoulder when he saw it. The bomb.

"Ziva. Inside." She looked down and into the car. She spotted in immediately, seeing the numbers counting down. There was two minutes on the clock and then she realized that the bomb was attached to the cop. And more importantly to something inside of his shirt.

"Tony, do not touch him." She opened the door as Tony was about to protest. She waved her hand at him, silencing him. He groaned exasperatedly.

"Sir, I would ask that you not move and that you _not panic_." He looked at her slowly and nodded hurriedly causing his heart rate to increase. Suddenly there was a high-pitched beeping coming from the bomb. Tony poked his head in, looking at her worriedly now.

"Zee, what's going on?" She concentrated on slowly exposing the components of the bomb. It was crudely made but she found that no matter how crude it was it was still effective. "I am going to open your shirt to assess the complete situation. Take a slow and ready breath. Do not worry."

"A steady breath," Tony remarked. She did not bother to acknowledge his comment. The cop looked at her like she was nuts but nodded anyway. She reached over and pulled his shirt open. His Kevlar vest had been removed and attached to his chest were pads that monitored his heart rate. She made to remove them when she noticed a safety glitch. The wires were tweaked to always need the heartbeat to continue with the count down. She would have to leave the wires and disarm it with the man still attached to it. She exited the car.

"Tony." He walked to her side. "It's connected with his heart. We need to keep him calm." Tony nodded and waited on her side this time. His gut told him he should. Ziva reentered the car and looked the cop in the face. "I am going to disarm the bomb." He started to shake and she quickly pulled off the top of the bomb. Inside were two wires. Only two. She groaned inwardly. Homemade bombs were dangerous. She didn't have the time to see if there was a trick set of wires or if one was an obvious dummy wire. She took a deep breath and whipped out her knife. The cop swallowed noisily and she placed the tip of the knife against the yellow wire. As soon as she made a slight incision into the rubber coating of the wire the timer dropped to 3 seconds.

Suddenly Ziva felt herself being pulled out of the car and pushed in front of Tony. They made it only a few feet as the bomb exploded throwing them both a few feet through the air. They each landed hard on the asphalt, Tony practically on top of her. He groaned and then reached out for Ziva. Her hand also found his and they looked up at each other as they touched.

"You okay?" He said and she nodded her head spinning and her ears ringing. And then it happened.

\/_\/_\/

"Uh-oh…Abby. Call Gibbs." She looked up at Tim and where he was looking with that shocked look. On their monitor they watched as the hospital shook the people in it finally moving and debris swirled everywhere. "Do I think what happened just happened?" She heard clacking and then another screen popped up and another and another until finally they found the one. In the south wing of the hospital there was a hall where there was nothing but chunks of ceiling and wall everywhere. Bodies thrown at awkward angles were hidden by the thick wall of dust that covered the screen.

"Abby! Gibbs! Now!" She hurriedly picked up the phone and called. "Gibbs. We need you down here now. Hurry!" And then she hung up the phone. She turned to Tim who was typing furiously. "What are you doing?" He kept glancing through files on the computer and biting his lip. "I'm looking through the terrorist database." Then he pointed at the screen. "That was NOT just a gas pipe or oxygen explosion. That was a bomb and I'd stake my life on it being a suicide bomb. This means that that guy," He zoomed in on the man they had been looking at earlier, "is the leader of this whole thing. I don't like this Abs. I don't like it at all."

"What the hell happened?" They both turned to Gibbs. "And what don't you like?" Gibbs looked pissed. It had been a while since McGee had seen that look. Probably the last time was when Gibbs had quit over the one navy ship being covered up. Gibbs had been furious then.

"Today McGee!" He jumped back to his monitor. "There was an explosion at the hospital." Gibbs' eyes flashed and McGee started to talk faster. "Tony and Ziva haven't called to check in yet which means they shouldn't be in the hospital yet but Boss." He pulled up the image again and this time the one guy was pointing a gun randomly and that was when they saw it. Wires and a box attached to the man's chest.

"That's…Gibbs. That's a bomb." Gibbs studied the screen a moment longer. "McGee. Pull up all the other feeds. Find out how many of them there are! And do it now McGee!" Gibbs took off to the elevator. "On it Boss!" McGee turned back to Abby.

"Tim…you don't think…" She couldn't finish the sentence. "Abby. You know Tony and Ziva weren't near it." He pulled her into his arms for a hug and she sniffled.

"Come on. Let's get the bad guys before Tony and Ziva _do_ end up somewhere in the middle of this." She pulled out of his grasp and nodded her head furiously, both of them returning to their work.

_/\Vance's Office/\_

"When the hell were you going to tell me this was a terrorist situation?" Vance clicked off the television and leaned back in his chair.

"Well that didn't take long." Gibbs made a threatening step towards Vance. "Didn't take long? What the hell is going on? My people were there when a damn bomb went off. I want answers Leon." Vance pushed out of his chair and walked around his desk.

"A bomb?"

Gibbs shook his head. "You didn't know?" Vance popped a toothpick into his mouth. He studied the door.

"I received a communication that there was a situation at the hospital. It was vague and when I pressed for more information they avoided answering. Just because I'm in the chair doesn't mean I get all the answers Gibbs." Gibbs scoffed and made for the door, his hand grasping the handle.

"My people are in danger and you could have warned me before it. I would have sent Tony and Ziva in prepared. Or not at all." And then he left slamming the door.

"Why I didn't tell ya."

\/_\/_\/

Another bomb went off. But this time in the hospital.

Tony threw his body over Ziva's, wrapping his arms tightly around her. When the explosion's after effects seemed to settle they both looked up behind them. In the twilight a cloud of dust rolled continuously through the parking lot and then they heard it. People crying, a few screams.

"I guess it's safe to say there's a lot more going on here than we thought." He felt Ziva stir beneath him. "Sorry. You alright?" He looked down and right into her warm brown eyes. Despite the fact that she kept most of her emotions bottled up her eyes always managed to tell him stories. He always found it…entrancing. He watched her blink rapidly and then she nodded. He unwrapped himself from her and rolled over to get a better look at the hospital and the car. The car was up in flames and he didn't stop to think about the man inside. The hospital was in better shape though. It seemed it had hit only one part of the building.

He rose to his feet and reached back to help pull Ziva up. She dusted herself off and took in the surroundings.

"Something feels wrong here. The explosion was not that big. It does not make any sense."

"A bomb going off period is wrong!" Tony thought for a moment, "We need to call Gibbs." Ziva nodded and surveyed the hospital.

The phone rang twice when Gibbs answered. "Tony. You two okay?"

"Boss, long story short there was a bomb in a car, Ziva tried to disarm it and it went off. We're okay. But then right after that another one went off in the hospital. It wasn't big enough to make a huge impact on the hospital. But Ziva's ninja senses are telling her something is wrong."

"Ya think DiNozzo? Put Ziva on." He handed the phone to Ziva.

"Gibbs." She listened as he explained a possible terrorist threat, with plenty of bombs and plenty of martyrs.

"I agree. It is too quiet and there is not enough security. Tony and I shall infiltrate the hospital after contacting the local LEOs. When we get inside I believe we will lose contact with each other." Tony heard Gibbs' harsh bark and faintly heard him saying don't go in there and that she should wait for the police to get there with a bomb squad. But Tony knew that look. Ziva was going to go in. And Tony knew he would follow because she was his partner. He would always have her back.

"Gibbs, I cannot sit here and wait. I will go in." Tony heard Gibbs yell her name when she snapped the phone shut. His eyes widened. The boss was not going to like that.

"Was that really a good idea to get the boss all mad?" She handed his phone back without looking at him. Her eyes shifted over the hospital building and he could almost see her gears shifting. Then she walked off quickly to the building. Tony ran to catch up.

"I really hope the bombs get us."

* * *

**Misaki:** Part 1 finito! Hope to see you next week for part 2!


	2. Ziva's Choice

**EM:** Part 2. I hope you enjoy. Reviews are greatly appreciated! I was thinking about dedicating my last chapter to someone…or someones. Perhaps that best reviewers?

**Disclaimer: **Once again, I don't own NCIS. If I did Malice and Gibbs would not have had that…thing. Or whatever. Bleh.

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_Why give up before we try__ / Feel the lows before the highs__ / Spread our wings before we fly away_

_I can't say I came prepared__ / I'm suspended in the air_

_Won't you come be in the sky with me_

"Damn it Ziva!" Gibbs slammed his phone shut. When the elevator doors opened he rushed into Abby's lab.

"I want answers right now." Abby turned to look at him as her computer dinged while McGee continued to clack at his computer, intent on the screen.

"We ran facial recognition on the guy with the gun. And we just got a match." She looked back to her computer while Gibbs went to the monitor.

"His name's Mahar Jael. He's 42 years old, has a son in the Marines, a wife and 2 other daughters. He emigrated here from Afghanistan 21 years ago and is currently unemployed." She paused, eyes moving rapidly over the file.

"Uh-oh." Both Abby and McGee said at the same time as they looked up, then at each other. "You first Abby."

"Mahar Jael was arrested twice in the past 5 years for possession of illegally obtained firearms. He's also been spotted with these two." She pulled up two more pictures.

"There part of a sect of extremists who believe that Americans ensnare their enemies into coming to the United States where they can control them."

"And that's where I come in." Multiple screens popped up on the monitor. "I've counted at least 14 men who looked to be armed with something. And two of them resemble those two." McGee pointed to the two extremists that Abby had pulled up on her computer. They both waited for Gibbs to say something.

"Boss?" Gibbs eyes widened a fraction.

"They're going to tear the hospital apart."

/\_/\_/\

"_Ziva!_" Tony ran along the wall, keeping his head and voice down. She was like a cat, nimble and quiet. When she reached the end of a counter she reached back with her hand to quiet him. He caught up to her and tried to catch his breath. Sneaking was hard.

"Just SHUT UP! SHUT. UP." Ziva turned to him. _Only one of them. Heavily armed. _She mouthed the words to him and he nodded, reaching for his gun. She shook her head, placing a hand on his arm. She leaned in close, her lips grazing his ear.

"If we go in with guns he might overreact. We should go in like regular people. Make him feel in control." A chill ran up his spine at their proximity but he pushed it away. Ziva on the other hand wanted to just let her cheek rest against his. He smelled like excitement and men's cologne and Ziva wanted to breathe him in. But she too pushed away and nodded. _Follow my lead._ She nodded again as he stood up and held out his hand for her. She processed where he might go with this and reached up and placed hers in his. She would just trust him.

She felt him tug her behind him when she looked up to see the gun pointed in their direction. "Where the hell did you come from?" The gun shook and he screamed this time. "WHERE!" Tony put his free hand up in a calm gesture.

"We were hiding. That explosion spooked us out." He fired once and Ziva cringed as Tony reached back to hold her against him. They listened as the bullet hit something and ricocheted once.

"Get over here now! Before my aim gets better!" Tony released Ziva and shook his head, pulling her towards the group of people cowering against a wall. He continued to play protective boyfriend keeping himself between her and the gun as he assessed the people around him. Only a few people seemed slightly injured, possibly from the explosion. That was when he felt Ziva tug on his arm. He looked back at her as she jerked her head in a direction. When he looked up he saw her.

"Jeanne?"

\/_\/_\/

"Abby. I want this processed as fast as you can do it." She nodded as she unpacked all of the evidence from the exploded car. She held up the crispy box that was most likely the bomb. She turned to Gibbs.

"Where's McGee? This would go faster with McGee Gibbs."

"I know Abs but he's processing the crime scene." She nodded, her mind ticking.

"Tony and Ziva are okay right?" He kissed her forehead.

"I need it fast Abs." She watched him leave. She only worried more when he avoided answering.

/\_/\_/\

"Tony?" Jeanne moved toward them when their captor turned away. Tony pushed Ziva to the wall signaling Jeanne to follow. They waited once more when he looked back their way and then turned again.

"What are you doing here?" From what Ziva could tell this was going to be very awkward. For both of them. It didn't help that Jeanne looked distressed and Tony was nervous.

"I'm…I'm here for a friend. I wasn't expecting to be here this long!" Though they were whispering the man still heard them.

"Hey! What are you doing? What are you talking about?" He came closer, the gun still pointed at them. Ziva decided it was her turn to do some improvising. She deftly kicked Tony's feet out from underneath him. He dropped to the ground, surprised and Jeanne fell with him. Ziva flicked out her knife discreetly and cut into her forearm. Pain flared and blood oozed from her skin. She put the knife away and before Tony got up, knelt beside him scooping his head over her wound. The blood continued to fall down her arm and onto the ground. Jeanne saw it first.

"Tony you're bleeding!" He looked to her shocked and reached back with his hand. When he felt the slick warm blood his eyes widened and he looked at her. She very softly shook her head no.

"He was hit by a chunk of the ceiling earlier. I did not think…" He almost gave them away when he looked at Ziva like she had thrown a chunk of the ceiling at him right then.

"Get away from him!" Ziva looked up, pain etched across her face. "But he is hurt!" Ziva's sudden cry of distress startled the man. Tony was impressed. She sounded genuinely upset and he almost believed her himself. Except that he wasn't hurt. He saw Jeanne look up confused. The gunman hesitated. Ziva thought of Ari and a single tear fell down her cheek. He blinked then and lowered the gun.

"I'm a doctor. If you would just let me take a look to make sure it's not too serious…" Jeanne's voice echoed in the silence and he blinked rapidly, looked at his phone nervously and shook the gun.

"Fine. But when you're done you back away." And then he pointed the gun back at them. "And you too!" Ziva nodded in agreement. When he turned away from them Tony grabbed her free arm.

"What were you thinking?" She looked up to Jeanne.

"We only have so much time to speak now. Tony is not hurt but act like he is." She nodded and proceeded to check Tony's vision.

"Why are you here Jeanne?" Jeanne paused, flashing the spare mini light she kept across Tony's eyes. She looked up at Ziva. "A close friend of mine had her baby." Jeanne stopped and Ziva watched as she struggled to speak. "And she's here, in the hospital. When I walked in to find what room she was in, that man burst through the doors with a gun and then ripped open the front of his shirt, showing the bomb. Everyone panicked. A few tried to escape but he shot them." Tears slid down her face as she felt the back of Tony's skull.

"Have they demanded anything?" She tried to remember what it was he had asked of the doctors. "It was something about not being treated like real people. More like cattle. Then there was something about his son in the Marines and he shot a doctor." Ziva looked down to Tony.

"This sounds more personal than terrorism." Tony nodded in agreement. Ziva looked up to check on the man and found that he kept glancing in their direction.

"Look. We need to make a diversion of some kind and we need to evacuate these people. They are not going to sit here and wait much longer." Jeanne looked over as well. She started to scoot away. "I'm not leaving here without my friend and her baby."

Ziva lifted Tony gently and leaned him against the wall. She caressed his face. "When I find the right time," she kissed his cheek, "I am going to make my move." When she pulled away, she thought he was going to protest but the man came over with his gun pointed, staring at Ziva.

"Is he okay?" She nodded hesitantly and took in his stare. He was looking at her differently than he had before. Almost like he wanted to talk to her. She stood up and he held the gun at her.

"Might I…wash my hands?" He looked around and on the counter found a towel. "No but you can wipe them off." She walked slowly toward the towel and came within distance of the gun. All she had to do was reach out and take it. Instead she took the towel and began to wipe off her hands, pulling her sleeve over her wound.

"May I ask you something?" He turned to her looking confused. "I'm going to kill you and you want to ask me something?" He looked at her like she was crazy or stupid or both. "Fine. Ask." He turned to look back at the others. Ziva could see Tony staring at her intently.

"Why do this? Why die?" He took a deep breath. "You wouldn't understand." She thought about pressing further but decided against it. She noticed he was looking at her hands.

"You are not married?" He jerked his head in Tony's direction and she looked up at him. He was whispering with Jeanne. Ziva smiled. Her and Tony married? She almost laughed out loud. But something made her stop. Tony was and always had been a true and decent man. Sure he was a pain in the ass sometimes and acted like a child but he was Tony. What would he be without covering up all his insecurities and problems with a joke?

_He would be Gibbs._

She really laughed that time and he looked at her oddly.

"No. Unfortunately we are not." She surprised herself that time. She had not meant to say unfortunately.

"Does he take care of you?" The gun was sitting at his side and he seemed intent on his question, completely unlike true suicide bombers. She studied Tony then. If she didn't think about the question the way he meant it, if she was honest with herself, Tony did take care of her. His investigative side may take over sometimes when he went nosing about in her desk and personal effects but he had always been taking care of her. When she had been with Rivkin and when he came for her in Somalia. When they were in the field she never doubted that he had her back, that he would take a bullet for her. Then she remembered Paris.

"_Tony I insist. You take the bed. I do not wish to hear you complain the entire trip home." She took her pillows and placed them on the couch. _

"_No Zi-va. You take the bed. I'll take the couch." And he took her pillows and placed them back on the bed. They were each holding a set of pillows on opposite sides of the bed. To be honest, Ziva didn't mind taking the couch. She probably wouldn't sleep anyway. Since Somalia, most nights were long and she moved a lot in her sleep. If she wasn't going to sleep anyway, then why take the bed. _

"_Ziva?" She looked up. "I am sorry. What did you say?"_

"_We could just…sleep in the bed. Together." He stared at her intensely. She had thought it herself, but she was afraid that she might keep him up with her tossing. Not to mention the scars...She hesitated a moment too long. _

"_Never mind. It's cool. Like I said. I can take the couch." Watching his shoulders, she felt that he looked a bit rejected. She had slept with Tony before. Surely it would not be a problem. _

"_We can sleep together." He stopped and turned back to her. He waited for her to say something more. "You sure?" She placed her pillows on her side of the bed. _

"_It is big enough for the two of us. Besides, we did it before when we were under covers." He laughed. She had said the same thing then too. _

"_Under cover Ziva." He too placed his pillows on the bed. They both stared at it. When more seconds than necessary passed he decided to jump in the bed. Maybe take away what he was beginning to recognize was awkwardness. He and Ziva were never awkward. He patted the space next to him. "It's actually pretty comfortable." She smiled and joined him, pulling the covers up to her chin. She reached over and turned off the light. She felt Tony get situated next to her. _

_When minutes passed in silence she turned onto her side, facing away from him. "Goodnight Tony." There was a pause before she heard him answer. _

"_Goodnight Ziva." _

_Unfortunately she had fallen asleep. And with sleep came her dreams._

"_No one is going to come for you. You came here alone and you will die alone." She accepted that because she deserved it. After what she had done to Tony and Gibbs and the team she did not deserve to live. She was ready to die. At least that was what she thought she had accepted. Instead a small part of her kept clawing its way back up. She wanted to live. She wanted to go back home, to McGee and Abby, Ducky and Jimmy, Gibbs, Tony. She belonged with them and she hated herself for throwing it all away on nothing. Why? Because it was her fault that Michael had died? If she had gotten him out faster he would have lived. His death was not Tony's fault. And she knew that. Despite her abandoning them. _

_And her father. She knew who her father was. He was the Director of Mossad first and foremost. He would not come for her. She was suddenly wrenched back to reality. _

"_No one wants you." Saleem's cold eyes bored into hers and she suddenly wanted to cry. _

_She jolted awake, the sheets tangled around her legs. She heard Tony snore next to her. She reached up to her face and found it wet, not with sweat but with tears. She had not expected anyone to find her. But Tony had. She looked down at him next to her. He was facing her, one arm under the pillow. And something in that moment told her that he would always find her. _

_She laid back down, her heart still racing. She closed her eyes, hoping to sleep and yet not sleep. She heard Tony snore one more time when suddenly she felt his arm wrap around her waist, his hand clenching her side. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him. He seemed to be asleep. When she tried to remove his arm he merely tightened his grip and pulled her further into him. She almost squeaked but held it in. His breath rushed over her head and his heart was beating slow and steady against her. She was stiff for a few moments, unsure of what to do. When it seemed that he would not let go she attempted to relax. _

_She had never really been the cuddling type. But she was uncomfortable the way she was. So in a move very unlike her, she turned into him and snuggled. Ziva snuggled. She almost pushed him off the bed that's how completely absurd she felt. But she placed a hand against his heart and tried to breathe. _

_She hadn't been held by anyone like this since Michael and that still wasn't the same as this. This was warm and soft and it was Tony who was holding her. And before she could help it she began to melt against him, her body fitting neatly with his, her breath slowing and her mind falling to darkness. And then she fell asleep. _

_She did not have another nightmare._

"Yes." She finally answered him. "He does take care of me." The man watched her.

"You really do love him." She turned to him shocked. She had never said anything about loving him. "Why do you say that?"

He studied her for a moment. "Your eyes told me so."

And then his phone rang.

\/_\/_\/

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Gibbs grabbed her by the shoulders. "Abs, slow down." She held up the crispy box.

"These bombs? There junk. Literally. Whether Ziva had cut the yellow wire or the black the bomb would have exploded. It's also why it dropped to 3 seconds and not to detonate. It was poorly made. I'm surprised it made it as long as it did." She smiled proudly.

"Is that all you got?" She frowned.

"Gibbs! You think I only called you down here for that? I thought you learned!" She turned back to her computer. "I found Tony and Ziva. They're doing fine by the way." Gibbs' eyebrow rose, waiting for her to continue. "And I also got the number. I can call the bad guy!" His eyes lit up with recognition.

"Call him Abs." She turned and hit a button, the dialing noises coming through.

"Who is this!" Gibbs and Abby watched the screen as Mahar Jael started to panic.

"This is Special Agent Gibbs. We have the building surrounded." He watched as Mahar turned in a circle, Ziva backing away slowly.

"No. I don't believe it. You can't stop us! No one can! You people treat us like animals. We will never give up our freedom!" And he hung up the phone.

_Ding._

"Uh-oh." Gibbs went back to Abby as Ducky came through the door.

"Jethro."

"Hold on Ducky. I've really gotta show Gibbs this."

"Abby I do not mean to be rude but I have something I must tell Jethro. That man was not attached to the bomb. He was controlling it. I found particles of metal and plastic embedded in his palm. He was carrying something when the bomb went off. And his posture suggests that he was relaxed when it went off. Not nervous." Abby stomped her foot. Gibbs looked at her incredulously.

"He stole my ding!" Gibbs just shook his head.

"I got a face with our dead guy. He wasn't on the police force. He's with the extremists." His face popped up and Gibbs frowned.

"That bomb was the cue for them to start." Abby turned to watch Gibbs exit.

"To start what!"

/\_/\_/\

"McGee. Domino effect. We have to evacuate the hospital. Now!" McGee stuttered on other end of the phone piecing together what Gibbs had said.

"You mean the first bomb was the starting fire? Now they're going to go off one by one?" Gibbs barked a yes. He nodded his head even though Gibbs couldn't see him as he threw orders at him.

"On it boss." Tim flipped his phone shut and looked to the cop next to him. "We need the bomb squad here now. Those bombs inside could go off any minute." He turned to his NCIS team. "We need to get in and get the hostages out. Quietly. Do not take out the terrorists unless you have to. Their bombs may be triggered to go off to anything." They all nodded.

Tim turned to the hospital. He really hoped Tony and Ziva were okay.

\/_\/_\/

"Please, do not do this." Ziva backed up slowly, her hands raised. She felt Tony grab her jeans and tug her back faster. She bumped into his chest. She glanced back to see Jeanne standing behind him. "I called McGee. His name is Mahar Jael. He's got a son in the Marines," he whispered into her hair.

"Mahar." His eyes widened at his name. "Please. Think about this." She dropped her hands, letting one travel to her side where her gun was. He cocked the gun and she stopped. "Would your son want you to do this?" The gun exploded and Tony jerked Ziva behind him as she pulled out her gun pointing it at him underneath Tony's arm.

"Tony. Are you alright?" He looked back at Mahar and nodded as her heart beat frantically. He really needed to stop being so protective. She moved in front of him this time, aiming her gun at Mahar. "Put the weapon down Mahar. I do not wish to hurt you." He shook his head forcefully and fired again. Ziva did not flinch this time. She fired once and he fell to his knee, blood dripping from his thigh.

"I told you. I do not want to hurt you. You have a family Mahar. Do you not want to take care of them?" That was when he started to cry.

"Tony. Move them out of here. Help Jeanne find her friend and get everyone out."

"No Ziva. I'm not leaving without you."

"Tony!"

"It doesn't matter." Ziva, Tony and Jeanne all turned to look at Mahar. "I cannot control it anyway." And he lowered his gun. Ziva turned to Tony, Mahar forgotten and started pushing people to the exit.

"Get out! Get out now!" Everyone started to scramble then. Ziva supposed they were lucky that Mahar was not shooting but at the mention of his family he seemed to have given up. She turned around and felt her heart go out for him. She started to walk towards him.

"Ziva! Don't!"

"Tony. Get Jeanne's friend and her baby out of here. I will be right behind you."

Walking up to Mahar had her nervous, she wouldn't deny that. But her gut told her that she a few minutes to spare, that she needed to speak to him one last time.

"Mahar. Why?" He was crying, the gun discarded at his side.

"They sounded like they knew what they were doing. They were so convincing!" She shook her head. It was a shame he had been swayed so easily to give up his life. If he had been given other options perhaps he would have chosen a different path. But now, he would never know.

"You knew you had other choices Mahar. This could not have been the only way!" His whole body shook but he only sobbed. That was when she saw a red light bleep on his chest. She opened his shirt and the timer said 45 seconds. She looked up into his eyes.

"Go. Go to the one you love. Live." She gripped his arm tight and then fled. She slammed the door behind her and looked up to see Tony a few feet in front of her.

"Thank god. Ziva, let's go." She smiled and took off to him.

"What about Jeanne's friend?" Tony was walking quickly, his grip on Jeanne's arm tight.

"They were evacuated before the bombers could get to her area. She and the baby are safe." Jeanne looked back and smiled.

They felt at that moment the ground and the walls shake. Sirens started to blare and lights were flickering. When Ziva turned to her left she saw in a room two children, huddling in a hospital bed. And then she turned to her right and through the doors and down the hall she saw him. Another one with a bomb, running towards them.

"Tony go! Run! Get out now!" She saw Tony look back before taking off, his grip on Jeanne's arm tighter. Ziva on the other hand bolted into the room to find the children crying.

"Come. We must go." She picked up the youngest one and grabbed the other by the hand. She exited and the man was closer now, screaming. She started to run in the direction Tony had gone and then heard the doors slam open. She turned into another hallway and then another door when the explosion went off behind them, throwing them and debris everywhere.

/\_/\_/\

The boss worried was not a good thing.

"Abby. We have a problem. The bombs inside are being remote controlled. Do you think you can find the signal and stop them?" Abby was frantic.

"McGee. Ziva and Tony barely got out of that hospital before two more went off." McGee cringed.

"Actually Abs, they were both still in there when the bombs went off." Abby screamed once and then started yelling at McGee.

"Abby, Abby stop. We need to prevent more of those bombs going off!" She started to settle. "Can you do it?" She huffed in response.

"Who do you think I am? Of course I can do it." He smiled.

"Thanks Abby. Gotta go." He hung up and turned to Jeanne next to him. "You should find someone to take a look at you and then wait for someone to take your statement." McGee turned to leave because he had more important things to worry about than Jeanne Benoit, when he felt her grab his arm.

"Is Tony…are they going to be okay?" He looked into her eyes and saw that she genuinely cared to know.

"We'll make sure they will be."

\/_\/_\/

"Ziva!" Tony coughed violently as the cloud of debris from the last explosion floated around him, blurring his vision. He was walking down a hallway, feeling the wall along the way to guide him. He stumbled over a chunk of ceiling on the ground. He stopped briefly to catch what breath he could. _Stupid Ziva._ He cursed his partner's impulsive actions and continued navigating the hospital. He should have waited for her. He should have gone with her! How could he have been so stupid? After Somalia he should have chained her to him.

"Stupid Jeanne." He cursed his feelings. They always popped up at the wrong time.

"_Tony go! Run! Get out now!" He grabbed Jeanne's arm and started running with her in tow hearing Ziva's words echo in his mind. He wasn't sure if they would make it out of the hospital before that idiot's bomb went off. But he was damn well going to get as far as he could before it did. Jeanne stumbled and Tony held her up slowing only momentarily so that she could straighten her feet out. He needed to get her out of there. And get her out of there he did, after navigating the halls of the hospital to find that glorious automatic glass door a beacon in his view. He pumped his legs harder, practically dragging Jeanne when he burst through the door. He saw Tim ahead of him, his mouth moving rapidly, talking through a com. He skidded to a stop before him, huffing loudly, and his grip on Jeanne tight. And that was when he realized he heard only one other set of lungs painstakingly drawing in breath. He whipped around to find that Ziva was nowhere in sight. _

"_McGee! Was Ziva running behind us just now?" Tim looked up at him, still listening to the walkie in his hand and shook his head absently. Tony's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as realization smacked him upside the head, giving Gibbs a run for his money. _

_His arms fell to his side, Jeanne all but forgotten. "Ziva…" and then he was off. Running through those doors once more only to be hit head on by a bomb few seconds later._

"Dammit!" He punched the wall next to him, pain rippling up his arm. Blood was running down the side of his head, his arm hurt like hell and he felt like he had twisted his ankle.

"ZIVA!"

* * *

**Misaki: **Thanks for reading! Come back for the final part next week. Did anyone really enjoy tonight's episode and references to Under Cover? Cuz I sure got excited!


	3. The Final Moments

**EM:** Part three. Thanks for the reviews. And for those who haven't reviewed please, oh please oh please REVIEW! Please people. I really want to know what you think of this little thing I have come up with.

And thank you so much for reading.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own NCIS. If I did Tony and Ziva would be moving faster than they have been.

* * *

"_Achot…go back…" Ziva turned round searching for the voice that called out to her… "Go back."_

"Ziva!" Ziva jolted to the sound of her name, drawing a groan. Her head ached painfully and her left leg was numb. When she shifted her body she felt something warm beneath her. She looked down to find two children pinned beneath her, both unconscious. She checked their pulses and was satisfied when she found them normal. She then turned her thoughts to what was going on. She couldn't seem to remember the specifics of the moment so she went back to the beginning, rearranging her thoughts. And there it was. The hospital, the bombs, Tony and Jeanne and then the children.

She was glad they were safe. Tony would yell at her later for not telling him what she had planned and ending up in the explosion but the children she could not abandon. The oldest one groaned beneath her. She attempted to rise and screamed out. When she finally bit her lip, she looked back to see her leg pinned beneath a very large piece of rubble and blood starting to pool beneath her. That was when she felt the pain and screamed out again.

"Ziva!" She practically sighed in relief when she heard Tony's voice.

"Tony-AH!" She cringed and tried to breathe in and out. The children beneath her regained consciousness and were starting to cry.

"Shh, shh it is alright. Someone is coming to help us." She hoped Tony would find her. They were buried and she herself was beginning to panic.

"Tony!"

"Ziva!" Some of the rock where the door had been moved and some light poured through along with Tony's head. "Thank god I found you!" He pushed his way through the rubble, stumbled, cursed and limped his way over to them. When he reached her she could see the relief plain in his eyes.

"What the hell were you thinking!" She was still trying to breathe when she looked down at the children still beneath her. "Tony. I could not leave them." When his eyes found them, she saw his face twist. "I didn't know…" She smiled harshly. "Can you get them out from beneath me?" He nodded and reached for the youngest one. He pulled her out first, gently and checked her for injuries when she was free. Ziva could see a few scrapes and a bump on her head but she should be alright. Then he reached for the other child and pulled him free as well. Ziva collapsed against the ground breathing heavily. She was starting to loose feeling in her leg.

"Zee, what…is that blood?" She looked up to find him touching the ground around her. His hand came away dripping and his eyes filled with panic. "Where?" he demanded and she tried to catch her breath.

"My leg." He maneuvered around the rubble and found the rock pinning her leg down. He bent down and started to pull when Ziva screamed out in pain, a sound Tony was not sure he had ever heard before. "Ziva!"

"Hurry! Pull it off quickly!" He didn't waste time. He favored his left leg and pulled with all that he had. Ziva screamed out once more before she bit down hard, stifling the scream. Tony tossed the rock to the side and bent down to her leg. Her knee, thankfully, seemed intact but her shin was not. The bone protruded out the front and her foot was twisted at an odd angle. He helped her turn to her side as she continued to bite her lip, drawing blood.

"I will not be able to walk." She was sweating profusely and blood continued to seep from her leg. "The bone needs to be pushed back in," he pondered as she almost protested. "We do not have time Tony. Just take the children and leave. I will follow." He looked at her incredulously.

"You're kidding me right? I'm not leaving you again. Every time I seem to do that you get hurt." And then he put an arm underneath her knees and the other behind her back and lifted her up.

"You kids can walk can't you?" They grabbed each others hand and nodded furiously.

"Good." Ziva was about to demand that he put her down but then he started to walk and her leg jostled and she practically screamed again. Instead she wrapped her arms around Tony's neck and bit down on his shoulder.

"Ouch! You could have warned me!" She felt guilty about that but it had prevented her from screaming which she refused to do again.

Tony was trying to process the bite he had received. He was definitely not expecting that and found that he had actually liked it. And after that thought passed through his head he mentally Gibbs-slapped himself. No time for those kinds of thoughts.

He hobbled down the hall in the direction he knew to be the exit.

"Kids, listen. Go through those automatic doors and then turn left. That's the exit. You'll be safe from there. Go on." They nodded and ran ahead of them. Tony had to stop for a moment though. The doors opened and closed as his proximity. He set Ziva down gently on her uninjured leg.

She was pale in the face and shaking. "Zee, you're gonna be okay. I swear." She looked up and smiled shakily. He would make sure she was okay though. Nothing would stop him from getting his Ziva safe. He watched her face to make sure she wasn't going to pass out when he saw her eyes widen and her mouth drop.

He watched in slow motion as she hopped on one foot, opened the door and pushed him through. He had no idea what was going on until he looked behind her. There was a man standing a few feet from them, his bomb ticking off the last few seconds. And then the doors shut in his face, Ziva staring at him through the glass. She put her hand against it and smiled and he watched as she mouthed the word _run_.

And he could not believe it. She was not on the other side of the door. But she was. And that bomb went off and he watched as fire consumed her.

"_Ziva! Wake up Ziva! Come on. You aren't allowed to be a hero!" She was lying limp in his arms. There was a huge gash on her forehead, blood dripping from the back of her skull. Her arm was twisted at an odd angle just like her foot and there was a shard of glass embedded in her stomach. There was a trickle of blood from her mouth and Tony wiped at it absently. His Ziva was lying broken in his arms. He put his ear against her chest and heard her heart's faint beat. He wanted to cry but the dust surrounding him choked him. He pushed her hair out of her face and leaned down to her. _

"_Ziva…wake up. Please." When she didn't open her eyes Tony knew that he had to get them out of there. He cradled her gently against him and limped his way out of the hospital, into the screaming mass of people and towards Gibbs, who was watching in pain as Tony limped toward him with an unconscious bloody Ziva in his arms. Gibbs heart stopped and then he ran to them. _

_He placed his hands on Tony's face, cradling it. "Tony. What happened." Tony's mouth moved but no sound came out. The paramedics came rushing up to them and Gibbs stepped out of the way. But Tony refused to give Ziva up when they went to take her from his arms. Gibbs watched as he struggled to keep his composure. _

"_Son…let them take care of her." Tony looked to Gibbs, searching in pain. He let them take Ziva then as McGee came rushing up next to them. He stared in horror at Ziva lying on the stretcher. He looked up at Tony. _

"_Tony…are you okay?" Tony looked up at him with a blank stare and McGee was at a loss for words. Gibbs just shook his head no and put his arm around Tony's waist, grabbing his belt and steering him toward an ambulance. _

"_Boss. What…what do I do?" McGee couldn't process anything. All he could see was Ziva lying there, dead-like. And all he could remember was Kate looking the same way. Dead. _

"_Go get Abby. Have someone else drive you. But get Abby and meet us at Washington Hospital." McGee stood there not moving. _

"_Tim." McGee looked up. "Go get Abby." Tim nodded and turned around._

_When McGee was gone Gibbs turned back to Tony and wished he hadn't. He hadn't seen Tony look like that before. Not even when Kate had been killed right before their eyes. He reached down and placed a firm grip on his shoulder. "Tony…"_

"_She can't die boss. She can't. I luh…" Tony didn't finish his words. But Gibbs wasn't stupid. He knew what would have followed. And he wished his Agent hadn't said it. This would only be harder for him. _

"_Let's go Tony. She's waiting for us."_

_/\Washington Hospital/\_

"_Achot." Ziva turned to the voice. If she hadn't known better that voice was…_

"_Where are you going achot?"And then Ziva saw her. In all her 16 years of glory. The one she had missed the most in her life. Tears fell unchecked down her face._

"_Tali?" Ziva took a step in her direction than stopped. Tali was shaking her head slowly. "No achot. It is not your time." Ziva's head cocked in confusion. "But Tali…" Ziva reached out toward her sister, her hand desperately hoping to touch her Tali just once. But Tali stepped back, her body starting to fade. "Go back. Back to all those you love. You don't belong here yet. I want to see you old and happy. Maybe even fat." She watched Talia smile without reserve, the kind she had missed for so many years. The kind she hadn't seen ever again after Tali had been killed. "But I miss you Tali…"_

"Why is she crying?" Abby clutched Gibbs' arm desperately. "She's not hurting is she? You said she wouldn't feel anything!" The doctor hesitated momentarily and regretted it. Abby advanced on him but before she could do anything Tim grabbed her waist and dragged her back and into his arms where she fell against him and started to sob. Tony paced behind them all feeling just as Abby did. Ziva shouldn't be crying. His Ziva _never_ cried. If Dr. Creepy didn't tell them that Ziva wasn't hurting he just might make the doctor hurt as well.

"She's not hurting, at least she shouldn't be. We have her on plenty of meds to prevent that. She might possibly be experiencing something while unconscious." All 6 of them stared menacingly at the doctor, although Ducky and Palmer understood some of what the doctor meant.

"Jethro, remember when you were in that explosion, right before you quit-ah retired?" Gibbs turned to Ducky, eyebrows raised. "While you were unconscious, you too were also in a dreamlike state weren't you?" Gibbs looked back to Ziva. Going back, he did remember having flashbacks to Desert Storm. But that wasn't what he was thinking. When he had been trapped underwater in the car, all he remembered was the ocean blue around him and then nothing. The nothing was followed by an image, one he vaguely remembered but remembered nonetheless. Shannon and Kelly had been there, like they were waiting for him. He remembered hearing his little girl's voice and then opening his eyes to blue skies, a hand grasping his and a dripping, heaving Tony. Perhaps Ziva too was falling. He only prayed that Ziva didn't fall completely. He had lost too many people in his life already.

"_No Ziva." Hearing her name snapped her out of her trance. "You can't come any closer." She said it softly but firmly. "Tali?" She looked at her sister questioningly. Then she understood. This was the moment, the white light as Tony would tell her it was. The choice between life and death. _

"_Yes. And you must choose life." She shook her head, knowing that whether she wanted to stay here with Tali, she wanted to go back. To go back to Abby and McGee, Ducky, Jimmy. _

_Gibbs. _

_**Tony**__. _

"_That's right. They all love you and you love them. I know." Her eyes shone with an understanding that her past Tali would not have known. "I know achot." Tali motioned for Ziva to go. _

"_I'll be waiting for you, achot." Ziva watched as Tali's form grew more translucent, until all Ziva could see was her smiling face. "I love you Tali."_

And then the darkness claimed her.

"_Ziva…"_

**Minutes later…**

It was too hard. They couldn't go through another one. Abby couldn't take it. Tim couldn't. Gibbs sure couldn't. And Tony? He had already lost a partner once. He couldn't do it again. Not Ziva. _His_ Ziva. Losing a partner was hard, but losing a female partner was a different ball game. It was so much more personal. And he had so many things he wanted to tell Ziva. Like how he adored the way she messed up her idioms, and how much he actually liked to correct her. He loved it when she joined him in teasing the hell out of Tim. He always felt ready for anything whenever she had his back. He wanted to tell her that he could trust her with his life. And mostly, if he was honest with himself, to screw Rule 12. Just toss it out the window. He wouldn't have admitted it before and he certainly wouldn't have acknowledged it either, but damn it all to hell. He would have tried. He would have made Gibbs understand.

Ziva.

Ziva.

Ziva.

_Ziva._

Tony _hated_ waiting. Waiting for Ziva to wake up or to…

No. He wouldn't even think it. His Ziva wouldn't, _couldn't_ die. She had survived Somalia, she could survive this. One minute she was crying in her unconscious state, the doc was telling them she should be okay and then not minutes later she had flat lined. Tony had forgotten what it was like, to know Ziva was dead. But this had a different punch to it. He was right there, watching her body become lifeless and he could do nothing, **absolutely nothing** to stop it. The nurses rushed in, pushing them all of out the way.

The sounds around him vanished as his vision focused solely on Ziva and the way her chest did not move. They ripped away her hospital gown, baring her to the world, one nurse still pushing air into her lungs manually. He heard someone yell clear and then her body arched into the air looking as if she was being pulled to the heavens. Then her body fell back to the bed and everyone in the room turned to the monitor.

The line did not move.

It was amazing what could happen in just mere seconds, minutes even. Someone makes a choice, pulls the trigger, lies. All in seconds and minutes.

He faintly heard Abby scream out as no one even bothered to calm her. They all wanted to scream. Tim's face had gone deathly white, and Ducky and Palmer both called out silent prayers. When Tony absently looked over at Gibbs he could see that his hands were trembling violently as they clenched at his sides. Tony was dead inside again. Again. He couldn't do it again. _Damn you Ziva. Damn you for doing this to us._ They yelled clear again in the room and her body climbed once more for the sky. And Tony couldn't take it anymore.

His fists fell against the glass, hard and he screamed like no one was there.

"Ziva! Don't you dare do this to me again! Don't you DARE! ZIVA!" And the next moment he could have sworn that she had heard him. They had shocked her once more; in sync with Tony's outburst and as her body fell back to the bed and her head fell slightly to the side her eyes flew open, meeting his as the line on the monitor blipped to life. She gasped for her. And in that moment, as they stared at each other, Abby's sobs of relief filtering through his mind, the nurses and doctors rushing around her, poking, prodding, touching, he watched a tear stream down her face as her mouth moved to the rhythm of his name.

_Tony._

He placed his palm on the glass.

"Ziva."

/\_/\_/\

Six hours later, after tests and more meds and prodding they were finally let in to see Ziva. Abby was the first to practically squash Ziva in her arms, although as she was closing her arms around Ziva she only lightly hugged her. Tears fell down Abby's face onto Ziva's. Ziva smiled weakly at Abby as she heard her murmur I love you into her ear. McGee came next taking her hand into his and squeezing as he kissed her lightly on the cheek, then saying "I'm so glad you're still here." She squeezed his hand back.

She looked up to see both Ducky and Palmer standing at the edge of bed. Ducky grabbed her foot. "You my dear, truly gave us a scare. I would appreciate it if it didn't happen again?" She nodded.

Gibbs came next. He looked at her momentarily before bending down, taking her hand in his and the other pushing her hair away from her face as he kissed her forehead. "If you ever," he whispered into her ear as he enunciated his word, "do that to me again," and she waited, hearing his breath catch in his throat causing her to almost cry, "I will personally see that you never leave my sight again. Ever." She grasped his hand tightly and turned into his embrace, tears falling silently down her cheeks as he held her so gently, which only made the tears come harder. If ever she was fortunate in her life it would be now, to be surrounded by all of the people she held dearly in her heart. Gibbs held her for a few minutes when she finally calmed herself down enough. He stepped away and then they waited, for Tony to make his move.

He walked to her side, slowly. And Tim could swear that if none of them were there Tony may have cried. His eyes looked like they were swelling up. And then all he wanted to do was give Tony some privacy to do whatever it was he needed to do for Ziva. He gently took Abby's arm and jerked his head toward the door. She smiled her understanding and walked out with McGee. Jimmy took note of their leaving and decided to follow suit. He felt awkward in there anyway.

"I'm glad to see you awake Ziva dear." Jimmy felt Dr. Mallard behind him and held the door open for him. "Thank you Mr. Palmer." Jimmy smiled as he exited. "Of course doctor."

Gibbs stood there watching Tony as he waited for him to leave. His gut told him that a rule was being broken here. But he found that he couldn't bring himself to say anything. What was it that his last rule said?

_Sometimes, you're wrong. _

And he knew had to go and leave them to their choices.

So he left them.

_If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy_

He finally had a moment alone with her and he didn't know what to say. He had been sure that Gibbs was going to tell him to move it along or something. Surely Gibbs knew that a rule was being tested here. But he had merely left, not saying anything. He should have known.

"Man of few words, huh?" He mentally slapped himself. Not how he wanted to start this conversation. But he saw Ziva crack a weak smile. "Tony…I am sorry."

He practically spit he stuttered so hard. "What are you apologizing for?" He pulled a chair next to her bed and then hesitantly took her hand in his.

"I should have listened to you." She coughed and Tony reached up, his hand on her forehead, pushing her hair back. "I know." And she smiled. "But what you did, for those kids…" he couldn't find the right words to express how brave he thought she had been, how _stupid_ to allow herself to get hurt. "They have you to thank for their lives." She smiled again. There was a pause.

"I saw Tali…" He looked up and waited for her to finish. "You mean…your sister?" She nodded and he watched as sadness consumed her eyes. He squeezed her hand.

"I died for a few seconds did I not?" She looked to him for confirmation. He couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers as a single tear slid down his cheek.

She turned to him. "I heard you call my name."

And when he looked up into her eyes he saw it. Everything he could ever want, the future he had been searching for.

_Or would it be so beautiful either way I'm sayin' _

_If you ask me I'm ready_

"Ziva…I…" It was right there, at the tip of his tongue. The feelings that had reached breaking point within him. He had to tell her. It would be wrong not too. But how did he tell her that…that he hadn't felt this way for someone since Jeanne? That this was different than his feelings for Jeanne had been, far more…intense. That when he saw her, he knew things would turn out okay. That sometimes he came into work just to spend the day with her. That when she wore her hair down he wanted to run his fingers through it and when she smiled his heart skipped a beat. That when she got hurt, sometimes his heart stopped and he died a little inside.

But before he could finish or even start for that matter, Ziva reached up and placed her hand gently on his cheek and smiled, her thumb caressing the top of his cheekbone. And the light behind her eyes told him all he needed to know.

_**If you ask me I'm ready.**_

_Fin_

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**EM:** The sequel is up and titled Coming Home. Please read it!

And for anyone who doesn't know, _achot_ means sister. _  
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